Guardian of Fire
by LunaBell08
Summary: Am I hearing this right? I have to get to Ba Sing Se, find the Avatar, prevent him from getting killed by Azula, and also make sure no one finds out that my stubborn 3-year-old cousin is a firebender! Then again, who said falling into a cartoon world would be easy? "Stupid war...stupid spirits...stupid handsome and distracting firebending tea-server!" Zuko/Oc
1. Chapter 1: Full Moon Bay

A/N: If there's one thing I hate about writing, it's the beginning of a fanfic with the real world corssover theme. It's a pain to write, mainly because I want to stuff in information to help make sense of my OC(s) and at the same time, I want to get straight into the point of the story. But then, I remind myself that that is what beginnings are for: Introducing your characters.

I hope everyone enjoys! I completed a fanfiction for the first time and I'm still trying to get over that feeling . . . I have a basic idea of what I want to do with this, but I may have a little trouble. I haven't read very many ATLA fanfics and I don't know the comfort-protocol for characters or cliches, so if there's anything you desperatly want left out, now is the time to tell me :)

_FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME! _I don't own microsoft word. So I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes in the future and wil l do my best to catch them. But don't worry! _i dun typ liek dis_! My worst mistakes will be like _presence vs presance _and _the word vs th eword. _

Instead of "Oh my God" or Nina says things like "Oh, Stars" or "Gods" because I find it boring if all of my Oc's say the same thing. Like my OC Aziya, she says, "Dear Jashin" as a reference to her otaku-ness. :)

_Disclaimer on Profile_

* * *

-x-

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 1: Full Moon Bay**

-x-

_Some say the world will end in fire,  
__Some say in ice.  
__From what I've tasted of desire  
__I hold with those who favor fire.  
__But if it had to perish twice,  
__I think I know enough of hate  
__To say that for destruction ice  
__Is also great  
__And would suffice._

_- Fire and Ice by Robert Frost_

* * *

"The Avatar is dead."

"The fire princess has succeeded whereas she should not . . ."

"The scales have been broken . . ."

"We are in need of the Guardian-"

"Yes, the only one who can help us."

"The Center World is where he lies."

"Where the Sensitive Ones create our story."

"We are breaking laws -"

"We must restore the balance -"

"No matter the time -"

"No matter the place -"

"Let us begin."

"I call upon the spirits to guide us to the Center World - "

"- And bring to us the one who will restore the balance,"

"To save the Avatar from his wretched fate -"

"- The fate that was not to be."

-x-

_"Happy birthday, dear Titan! Happy birthday to you!"_

"Okay, blow out the candles!"

The world goes black.

This is what I get for going out of the house. I leave my comfortable safe haven to go to a three-year-old's birthday party, and I'm tossed into a chaotic mess.

No! No, it's not funny!

It started out like any other day during the week. I awoke to get my cousins and my brother ready for school. I spent the day on my laptop waiting to pick them up from school. My cousin's go home, my brother finishes his homework, and I am once again back on my laptop.

But there was something different about today - a little birthday party for my now three-year-old cousin, Titan.

It was no surprise when the house was filled with people, because I come from a family that breeded like rabbits and we were all raised to be close to one another. It also meant that coming to a little birthday party was a regular thing.

I'm not exaggerating; From my grandparents alone, they had nine children, with my mother being the eldest. Of the nine, I had six uncles who are all married and each having at least two children of their own. And just like my mother, I was the oldest of all the grandchildren (if you didn't count my three adult step cousins).

I'm not going to bore you with the fine details of my family (trust me, there's a lot more I can tell you). It's just that, as the oldest of the cousins at the age of seventeen, I was used to watching over children. I graduated early, I didn't have a job, and I even though I didn't get paid for my excellent babysitting services, I had the time.

Hey, I'm a homebody. And I'm not putting myself down about that, it's just a fact. I hate people, I'm not social, I can't stand big crowds or being alone in new places, and I only have a few friends from my dad's time in the military and they all live across the country.

So, as I stay at home, I am usually watching some sort of tv show such as a cartoon or an anime during my free time. Everything about the day was completely normal.

What's the point of me telling you of all this? These are just important details about my life that you should know, just to avoid confusion for the future. Because you see, my day did not end normal.

Because I was sent into another world. The _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, world. With my three-year-old cousin, Titan.

I never would have seen that coming.

I mean, I've had my fair share of fantasies of diving into one of my favorite fandoms: Naruto, Bleach, Young Justice, etc. I'd usually be some smart-ass who could get away with befriending the villains or doing something that would shock everybody into thinking I was some weird/odd/extraordinary being.

The thing is, people don't just fall into a fictional world. It seriously shouldn't be happening by any means of logic. There are no pink sparkling black holes that's just going to plop some random person into a cartoon that they've seen, nobody is going to fall through their tv - How that happens, I don't know - and nobody dies and suddenly finds themselves in their favorite movie.

I've read about it happening in fanfictions, so of course I had _some_ idea of what to expect when it happened to _me_ of all people. But most of the fanfictions I've read - and even written - plop these people right in the beginning of the story. Give them a chance to get the feel of the way things work in this new world. There were few where it started way before the beginning, or during a turning plot point. But in the middle? I've never read of such a case.

When I fell through whatever decided to take me, I wasn't alone like in other fanfictions. I was in a room _filled_ with people. I disappeared from the living room of a child's birthday party - with said child in hand - and ended up . . . here.

Unlike many of the character's I've read about, I didn't immediatly know where I was. For the record, it didn't help that my brain spent the first ten minutes trying to figure out what just happened. Because who the hell teleports from one place to another?

I found myself fallen in the middle of a busy campsite - or at least, I thought it was a campsite of some sort. My head ached, my eyes were blurry, and I had to resist the urge to throw up. All because my brain tried to process a logical explanation for why I was there in the first place.

My ears rang, and I could hear nothing but echoing voices as my eyes managed to approach the situation first out of my other senses. There were tents. Rundown, old fashioned, set-up-with-sticks-and-cloth kinds of tents. The people dressed weirdly in dark colors, although I was able to find them familiar as they bustled around me. I could hear crying in the distance, and from that my brain was able to function properly enough to remember that I was still holding my cousin Titan.

I could hear him crying on top of the other noises that tried to break past my brain's barrier. Whatever was going on for me must have been ten times as bad for him! Holding him close, I could feel my heart beat wildly against my chest as I spun around, trying to grasp on what reality I had left. What just happened? How did this happen? I was in the living room not even thirty seconds ago! Where the hell am I?

I didn't even get weird stares for my behavior. From what I could conclude about my surroundings, this entire camp was inside some kind of mountain, with gates up at the front that lead to who knows where.

I instinctivley ducked into a corner, holding Titan close as he finally calmed himself. I was grateful for the moment that he didn't pull dead-weight on me, something he did when he was irritated or upset.

"Nina, what happen?" he asked.

I didn't answer, instead curling into the corner as I tried to blink away my own confusion. Hopefully, once I get a little more lucid, this strange enviorment will be gone and I'll be back in Titan's living room, possibly with a cake stuffed in my face.

I had to find out where I was. For once in my life, confusion came to an advantage because my brain was far from thinking of my fear of talking to strangers. Mustering up any bit of courage I had, I carried Titan and approached the first person I saw. She wasn't like the others in attire. Instead of a dull grey and green dress, she wore some kind of uniform and her reddish hair was pinned back into a low ponytail. She also wore a weird hat. 'Cosplayer' would have been my first thought when describing what kind of person she was, but they were soon shoved behind my thoughts of 'What the hell just happened' at the moment.

"Excuse me?" I tapped her shoulder. She turned with a genuine smile, though her face gave a flash of confusion as she took in my clothes, thinking _I_ was the one wearing something weird. What she saw was a healthy young girl with a child, both who didn't look as rundown as the people surrounding us. I wore a grey hoodie with sparkle-pocket jeans, and my hair was braided and pinned into a bun with a clip. My bangs are side sept over my left eye.

Titan wore a simple black hoodie and jeans. I wondered briefly how she'd react when his shoes lit up when walked. When he was in one of his 'moods', his hoodie would conceal his fair brown hair and shadow over the light brown skin I shared. You could tell we were related because of our facial structures, but our eyes deferred. While I inherited our family's darker-than-dark brown eyes, his eyes were a bright blue from his mother's side.

"Can I . . . help you?"

"Umm . . ." Okay, just tell her your problem, she can help. Probably. "Could you tell me where I am?" Yes! Clear words came out instead of gibberish! There have been times when talking on the phone to my apartment's main office to put in a work order made me forget what I was supposed to say.

She turned to look at the markings etched into the high walls.

"You're in sector four," she said and turned back to me. "If you're looking for the ferry boats, you can get your tickets at the main desk up there," she pointed ahead of us, where the white colored walls toward over the camp.

"Do you have any possessions with you?"

"Ferry boats?" I asked, still confused and grasping the one thing I understood. What the hell am I doing in a place that needed ferry boats? I didn't live anywhere near water!

"Ferry boats to where?"

She gave me a look that told me she thought I was going crazy. "You really don't know where you are?"

"No. I don't even know how I got here!" I gasped, feeling Titan squirm in my arms.

"That's a bad cut!" The girl said as she came closure and examined us. I looked down and only now did I notice that Titan had somehow gotten a cut in his forehead right under the middle area of his eyebrows. Probably from when we fell. It didn't look deep, but blood was slowly trickling down his face.

"Oh, stars!" I gasped, beginning to panic. My uncle was going to kill me!

"We should get that checked out," she took his hand and Titan curled into me, snatching his hand away from the strange girl.

It was a stubborn day for him. Titan was always stubborn, but when he didn't want to do something, he would sit there and pull what my mother and I called his 'deaf act'. When I arrived at the house, he had just woken from his nap and wouldn't leave his room, instead crouching on the floor and staring blankly. I liked to think that I was his favorite person because he always chose me over the other grown-up family members (it doesn't help that I spoiled him whenever I had him) but even then I had to bribe him with my phone just to pick him up.

"What's his name?" the girl asked, understanding he wasn't comfortable with her.

"Titan, Tai for short." I sighed, adjusting him so I could hold a hand out. "And I'm Nina."

"Suki." she said, taking my hand in hers. She tilted her head to a case of stairs on the gray brick wall behind us, and I couldn't help but look in awe at the foriegn archetecture.

"Come on, we have a medical station up top and we can get a look at that cut-" She paused, her eyes widen as she suddenly grasps my arm and pulls up the sleeve of my hoodie.

"What happened?"

"Yow!" I flinched, feeling her light grip rub against my skin and pain shoot up the limb. Red marks like a large claw swirled around my arm, the skin searing as if it had been burned.

She took a closer look, her grip loosening as she examined the burns. "This is fresh!"

"I . . . I don't even know where that came from!"

-x-

I sat under one of the many pavilions on the large wall that overlooked this strange campsite. I could see so much more from over the edge, and my eyes widened. This small camp was not small. It was _huge_! I could look left and right and it seemed to stretch on forever! And from this height, I could see just over the opposing wall to find a giant ship getting ready to leave. People stood in the line, holding things that could have been everything they owned for all I knew.

"Oh. My. Stars." I quaked, turning quickly to duck my head. "Where am I?"

My arm propped up on a wooden beam as Titan sat in my lap, fidgeting as Suki attempted to clean his cut. He tried to turn and cling to me as she came near, making a face.

Another girl in a similar uniform to Suki looked at my arm, wrapping it in a long white bandage.

"That's going to scar," she said. "Do you know how you got it?"

"No! No idea! I opened my eyes and I was here. I don't even know where _here_ is!"

Suki managed to put a small sticky bandage on Titan's wound and gave me alook of concern. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I-I was at home." and by home, I meant Utah. America. Reality! Not this weird place! But something was telling me that they'd think I was crazy if I went on. Well, even more crazy then they already thought I was.

"And you just woke up here?"

"Where exactly is _here_?"

Suki looked up at the girl who finished working on my arm, a look of concern clear on her face.

"Hana, I need you to do a perimeter check and alert the other warriors of a possible breech. I don't want to raise any alarms," she lowered her voice. "but we could have a spy from the Fire Nation here. This is the work of a firebender." She turned back to me. "Did you hit your head? Is there any pain?"

i blinked, processing her words.

Fire-whaa?

Did she just say what I think she said?

"D-Did you just say _firebender_?" I stammered.

She gave me a stern look, but softened it when she saw the look on my face. "Don't worry. Full Moon Bay is a place where refugees are safe from the Fire Nation. It's possible they made you guide them here and you hit your head. Let me wrap that up and you'll be headed to Ba Sing Se in no time."

"Fire Nation . . ." I gulped. "Oh, fantastic."

As Suki's voice voice faded out, and Titan began patting me for my attention, I turned out to the camp site again.

Firebenders . . . Fire Nation . . . You'd have to be a total _idiot_ not to put the clues together.

I mean, really what are the chances that I, a completely ordinary person, would end up _here_?

No, no, no, no! I can't! It's impossible! It doesn't make any sense!

My stomach clenched, and all the blood drained from my face. I was vaguley aware of her asking if I was okay.

It sure has been a while since I've really watched this show, but now I just felt so _stupid_ and _crazy_ and . . . and . . .

I'm in _Avatar: The last Airbender_ . . . I'm in the world . . . of _AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER._

The designs on the walls were in the style of the Earth Kindom, the way the people dressed, the refugee camp for going behind the safe walls of Ba Sing Se!

And Suki! She was one of the Kyoshi Warriors to help fight the war! She was one of the main characters! She was _the _main character of the Kiyoshi warriors! Sokka's girlfriend!

I gave her another look over and imagined her in the Kyoshi Warrior outfit with makeup and fans.

"Oh my god," I gasped, trying to breath.

"Nina? Are you alright?" she asked. "You look a little sick -"

I gagged, holding back the vomit coming up my throat.

There were so many things I could do right now. Things I could say! I could go on an adventure and stop things from happening and make sure everybody has a happy ending even though everyone has a happy ending anyway! I could see the future! I could do anything!

I AM THE ALL POWERFUL FUTURE TELLER OF THIS WORLD!

The fan moment didn't last long.

Crap, crap! Suki was talking to me! But what do I tell her? That I knew who she was? That I was from another world?

Of all the intelligent things I could have said right then, there was only one thought that came to mind:

"You have gotto be _kidding_ me!"

And then I threw up.

* * *

A/N: Ahh, Nina. What are you going to do now?

I hope I didn't just dump a lot of information for the first chapter. It's just that I want my OC to have a full detailed character, and I'm sure we would all still have our minds on the way things are here in the real world if this happened.

So, on some notes: I just want to say that this is a first sort-of self-insert. I've created a lot of OC's, with personalities of different kinds and based some of their experiances off my own. But the character of Nina is roughly based off of myself the most. Her reactions and the way she thinks is pretty much what I would do in this situation. I even suspect I would throw up due to the shock . . . I don't have that strong of a stomach . . .

The character of Titan is also based off one of my own baby cousins, and when his birthday party came it gave me the jumpstart for how I'm going to start this story. Go Titan! :)

Please **R**eview and tell me what you think! I promis**E** this isn't going to be one of those tacky stories where the main OC sits on the side with a witty one-liner as e**V**erything just happens in front of her. Her presence **I**n this world is going to have some small to major **E**ffects on the plotline. Titan also has his **W**ay in the story too**!**


	2. Chapter 2: Hidden Flames

AN: Writing Titan is a lot harder than I thought it would be O_o Hopefully I can get the hang of it in a bit. Just give me some time. The last child-character I wrote was a bubbly Blondie of joy who put the Nightmare King to his knees . . . *shifty look for advertisement*

Special thanks to GoF's first reviewers: _**AbbeyAuditore, ****Abby-Flourite,**_ _**Meg,**_ _and a **Guest**.** :)**_

* * *

-x-

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 2: Hidden Flames**

-x-

* * *

"We screwed up! We screwed up!"

"You've been spending too much time in the Center World."

"It doesn't change that their fates have been wronged."

"Too early . . ."

"Too young . . ."

"How do we fix this?"

"We cannot undo what we have done . . ."

"The Guardian was our only hope . . ."

"Panic not, worldly spirits. There may be more to this than even we know."

"The Avatar's fate lies in the Guardian's hands."

"And yet he has no experience -"

"- No knowledge of our ways."

"Calm yourselves. Let us wait and see -"

"- What the Center World has given us -"

"- To twist the fate -"

"- Of a twisted fate."

-x-

Being here was one thing. Throwing up in front of a fictional character who becomes important later in a cartoon series is another. But hearing voices now?

Maybe I really was going crazy. Accepting that this may be the case, I put aside the conversation of the crazy voices for now and focused on my main problem here. My hands we held in front of my face, flat against each other as if I were in prayer and my elbows on my knees. But this position was more of a way to help me think clearly.

"I'm so sorry." I breathed deeply. Hana gave me a dirty look as she cleaned up the mess I made on the other side of the pavilion.

"It's okay," Suki assured, making a nervous face. "It happens."

"I think I'm going to pass out . . ."

"Oh, please don't!" Suki chuckled. "We don't have any cots around here for you to lay on."

I took another deep breath and checked on Titan, who was awfully quiet.

"Tai?" His head leaned against my side. For a moment I'd thought he'd fallen asleep. But I knew Titan - he didn't nap randomly like his older sister.

Suki gave him a look-over and felt his forehead. "He has a fever."

My eyes widened. "A fever! Now_?"_

"It's okay!" Suki said, trying not to let me panic again. "It doesn't look too bad! He just needs to rest!"

Rest!? Rest _where_!? We don't have any place to sleep! We don't have shelter and I sure as hell don't know how to take care of a sick child without panicking! I may watch over seven kids at a time but when they get sick I give them back to their parents! That's the beauty of having adorable children without them being yours!

"Oh, stars." I took another set of deep breaths. No, Nina! Now is not the time to panic! You can get through this!

I picked Titan up from the bench and cradled him in my lap. His forehead was warm, and he was sweating, but not overly. I gave myself a minute to breath before looking at Suki.

"We don't have anywhere to go." I told her. "We shouldn't even be here. We were with our family. He should be opening his birthday presents right now and stuffing his face with cake! Not here . . ."

She looked at me long and hard before sighing. "I'm only a security guard, so I don't have much influence. And that crazy dragon lady isn't the type to have exceptions for tickets to Ba Sing Se . . ."

She patted Titan's hair down and pursed her lips. "Today is his birthday?"

I didn't want to know the date in this world. I had to stay on my time to keep myself sane. "Yes. He just turned three."

She nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, is there a father in the picture? Do you have any way of contacting him?"

I blinked. "Yes." I said simply, confused by the question. "But I don't know how to contact him right . . ." I was suddenly aware of the lump in my pocket and nearly jumped out of my seat.

I have my cell phone!

Wait . . . did Suki think that I was his mother?

"Oh!" She jumped at my exclamation. "I hope you don't think he's mine! I mean he is, he's my baby but he's not _my_ baby, you know?"

" . . . I don't understand."

"I'm his cousin, not his mother." I said more clearly. "His parents are at home, safe and sound."

"Oh!" She nodded, understanding. "I just assumed, sorry, heh, heh."

I suppose she assumed our family lived in Ba Sing Se, due to the fact that they were 'safe and sound' and I didn't bother correcting her. Telling her about my world - along with the fact that she's a fictional character where I come from - would only confuse her, and it wouldn't bode well.

"Hold on a second," Suki left.

With that small chance - because they don't have things like phones in this world - I held Titan with one hand and dug in my pocket with the other. It was a good thing I had a strong, full battery on my cell, and it doubled with a something called a _Mophie:_ a case that recharged the battery after it died. It would last me a week even if I messed with it for six hours a day. If I left it as is and only used it so often, it would probably last me two.

Titan shifted in my arms, uncomfortable and undoubtedly hot. "It's okay, we're going to get out of here," I whispered. What dumb lluck I would have that he would suddenly get a fever. He was literally fine and dandy an hour ago!

The Fates were not on my side today. One look at the phone to call my mother, or his parents, to tell them we were okay, and I wanted to smack myself. There are no cell towers here you dum-dum! No towers equals no service!

I really was starting to lose it. Could you blame me? I couldn't survive here! I'm a spoiled American seventeen-year-old who lives with her parents and never even had a job before! I graduated early because I busted out crying in one of my classes because my sophomore science teacher was a grouchy old witch and I ended up being homeschooled! I have a hard time walking around Wal-Mart by myself! How can anyone expect me to live in this world of war _and_ take care of a child who barely potty-trained himself! HOW?

I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN LAID YET.

DOES ANYONE SEE MY PROBLEM HERE OR IS IT JUST ME?

Great, now I'm yelling at myself.

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!

Panicking, panicking, panicking!

DAMN IT, TITAN, YOU'RE SO SCRAWNEY WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY?

"Maybe these will help," Came the calming voice of Suki who reappeared before us. She held out small bag, and a rolled green-blanket-type thing was attached on top.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Sometimes other refugee's leave things when they leave for Ba Sing Se." She handed me the bag with a smile.

"We don't have a lot of medicine here, but your cousin should be fine so long as he gets a lot of rest. I have to go back on patrol now."

_Lucky!_ Maybe I wasn't all that down on luck today!

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" I took the bag, which was heavier than it looked, and hoisted it around my shoulder.

Before we bid our farewells, I wanted to tell her something that could help. But what could I say? It was possible she already met with the Avatar and the rest of the Gang. But what if she didn't?

It was too late to give her any sort of warning of the future that may or may have already passed when she said goodbye and disappeared. I shook my head and took more deep breaths to calm myself down.

Useless, useless!

I had to keep myself focused now. Unlike the fanfiction character's I've read about, I am now responsible for someone's life other than my own. A sick one at that. It'd be nice to know why he was sick in the first place. If only I studied to be a doctor, or an engineer so I could do something with my phone - anything!

I descended the stair case and found an area of the refugee camp that was clearer than others. It was back in the corner I met Suki in. Propping Titan on my hip and using one arm to keep him steady, I sat on the ground and dug through the things Suki gave me.

My goal now was to survive and keep Titan safe. The first book of _The_ _Hunger Games_ - the only book I read from the series - told me I needed water. Water was very important, and it could possibly help Titan . . . somehow.

So the first thing I looked for was a water bottle of some kind. What were they called? Waterskins? No, I found a canteen. Perfect! Except not perfect, because it was empty. I can only hope it's not crawling with bacteria.

The gear Suki gave me was a lot more than I would have thought. First, I checked out the blanket that was attached on top of the bag. To my luck, it was a padded sleeping bag, soft enough for comfort. I laid that out first and folded the top for a pillow for Titan.

Next, I found a medium-sized black box that contained first-aid-like materials: a couple of bandages, a pink roll of wrapping, a small bottle of what looked like vinegar, some kind of ointment that was labled in an Asian language I didn't understand, tweezers and alcoholic wipes. I tossed out what couldn't be used, like empty packages and used, dirty materials. The bag also had a couple of rags, with two cans of food - beans. Yuck. Of all the things . . . ugh, at least it would be something for Titan to eat when he felt like it.

Moldy bread - tossed. And, yes! A pocket knife . . . dear lord I hope that's dried mud.

I blanched, but I couldn't help but be grateful about my luck. My family was trained in protecting our own, and that was exactly what I was going to do. Taking one package of alcoholic wipes, I sanitized the knife and took a few minutes to figure out how to put it back together.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Of course, if I was smarter earlier I would've asked Suki for help a little more. That's my fault. But then again, what could she do? It's not like she could take us home . . .

But Aang could. It may have been a couple of years since I really watched the show, but I knew enough! I used to be able to recall an entire episode just by its name!

Yes! This was perfect! I could seek Aang's help, because he was the Avatar and he was the one with all that other worldly spiritual stuff! It would totally work!

So . . . leaving Suki was probably a stupid idea, since she was Sokka's girlfriend and all. And it was very unlikely that I would find her among this big place again. It was amazing I ran into her in the first place! I could have spoken to a random security guard or another Kiyoshi Warrior.

Silently thanking the other worldly beings that ruled this universe, I repacked the bag, double-knotted the tie and put it on.

I needed to get to Ba Sing Se. I knew the city of walls and secrets was big, but the Gaang didn't really know the definition of discreet. Hopefully, I wasn't too late.

My knowledge of the Avatar world surfaced. First, Suki was here. Meaning the Kiyoshi Warriors didn't get captured by Azula, meaning we're not even close to the Fire Nation taking over Ba Sing Se. I had time. I would be all over trying to help out with my vast knowledge of this universe, but honestly, I need to get home. Home is safe. Home is no worries and home is Titan's home where his parents must be worried sick!

His father must be freaking out right now. I could imagine my uncle rampaging around the house and then yelling at the police and cursing and -

This thought process really isn't helping.

I had to stay focused on the now.

. . . I really shouldn't have left home today . . .

-x-

Okay, Nina. You're not allowed to feel guilty about this. It's needed for your survival. It's needed for Titan . . . Oh gosh, why did I leave him alone?

My luck should be running cold soon. I found a tent that nobody was using. Apparently, the tents were used for all refugees and most weren't brought with them here. Titan was sleeping soundly, and I was sure to take off his hoodie so that his fever didn't over heat him, but kept him covered so he didn't get cold. That was when my stomach grumbled, and I found myself dead thirsty. I was in desperate need of water of some kind, and no matter how badly I needed it I refused to eat cold beans. The texture of such a vile food source would make me toss my cookies again.

Now here I was, becoming a criminal of the night. It wasn't that quiet; I would hear the occasional voices of conversation and crying children, along with the bell ringing for the next group to head on to the next ferry boat that just arrived. It ran throughout the night.

Every few seconds I would have to talk myself out of turning around and running back to the safety of my tent to make sure Titan wasn't kidnapped or something. I didn't know what weirdos were in this world, and I do remember a family getting all of their things stolen, causing the Gaang (I was sticking with the term for shortness) to guide them through the _Serpent's Pass_.

If only I could waterbend! Or earthbend! Or have some useful ability other OC's in fanfictions got when they somehow ended up in my similar situation! My heart was pumping so loudly in my ears, I feared that it would alert someone of my presence.

I was a good distance away from my tent, with the knife in the safety of my pocket and the bag weighing down on my back.

Guilt was killing me. I was forced to ease my conscience by telling myself that Titan's survival was more important than these other people. To help, I managed to stay away from those with children of their own.

For over an hour and a half, I scavenged from different camps, taking just enough so they wouldn't notice what was missing. I had two close-calls: One guy had woken up to leave the tent, probably to use the bathroom. With nowhere to go, I had frozen in my spot just off to the side, my hand in my pocket for when he would attack . . . and he walked right passed me. It helped that I blended into the shadows, but he was so close, and I was standing right there! He didn't notice me at all!

And again, when a woman awoke and looked in my direction, she did nothing, instead turning around and falling back to sleep.

Six apples (Well, five now because my growling stomach was going to give me away), a canteen full of water, and a blanket and a pillow stolen later, I was pushing my luck by the third time it happened.

The next tent I ducked into was larger than most, more towards the front where the camp was more lively and a few fires were made for light and warmth. What I found there had me, once again, thanking the universe for my luck. I managed to find a bag with bottles of essential oils. Not perfume oils, real, edible, healing oils that were good for your body. I thanked the stars for my family's new obsession with Essential Oils and dug through the bag.

The labels were useless to me, using a language I didn't understand. But I could recognize the smells and colors. Lavender, lemon, oh gosh, this bag was like heaven! It was expensive too!

I could remember my mom telling me what could help for fevers. There was B.R.A.T.: Bread, rice, apples, and . . . I always forget what the 'T' stands for.

For the oils, I could remember Lavender being great for almost everything. What else? Peppermint was good for headaches, I better keep a bottle of that; eucalyptus was good, I stole two of those bottles. Maleluca was what my aunt called the 'Liquid stitch' . . . I grabbed two of each.

My attention was brought to the bottom of the bag - hidden beneath the side flaps was the holy grail: Tickets. And Passports. How the heck do refugees get passports anyways? They're refugees! I could remember that crazy woman refusing the Gaang through because they didn't have any passports.

I could take them . . . but then how would whoever I'm stealing from get to Ba Sing Se? How conflicting.

A woman of old age came into the tent, out of breath like she'd been running. Once again, I was caught; ready to sprint. However, she merely turned to grab a bucket of what water and left as quickly as she came.

Either the people here are very unobservant, or I really have a talent for going by unnoticed. That would explain my short time in high school . . .

Haha! If only.

And _that_ was where I thought my luck ran out. Upon returning to my area of safety, I could hear screaming and yelling, and suddenly a bright light like the sun lit up the cave . . . exactly where Titan was.

I screamed in horror. Without thinking, my feet darted to home base, avoiding splashes of water as everyone attempted to take out the fire. "Titan!"

I ignored the shouts of the other guards warning everyone to stay back. I could see the Kiyoshi Warriors do tricks in the air as they helped out of my peripheral vision. But my mind was on one thing: Titan.

No, no, no! Please don't be stuck in there! Please tell me someone, anyone got him out!

I could hear a cry in the distance. Titan's cry. I'd know it anywhere. My adrenaline kicked in, and I turned a corner. Another. And another.

I pushed past the security who held the people back from trying to save their scraps for things. I followed the cry.

And I found him. I could see him crawl away from the flames, trapped. No one was around to help him. No one was around to do anything! Again, not thinking, I flew through the fire and took off my sweater. Mere seconds could have passed, but it felt like forever. I wrapped my sweater around his little body and cast myself from the flames.

"Are you okay?" I cried. He had no burns, but he looked woozy from his fever and crying. My sweater was singed, the sleeves burnt up to the wrists and a large, black hole went through the back. I found it odd that his own hoodie, clutched in his tiny hands, was burned around the top, but not completely ruined.

He wasn't harmed, and I let myself breath. Hugging him tight, I continued to tell him over and over that everything was going to be okay. We lost the comfy sleeping bag, but at least we had a blanket and pillow.

I examined him again, and suddenly heat waved passed my cheeks as he sneezed. Jerking back in my flurry, I looked over Titan again. He sneezed, and fire blew from his mouth.

"You've got to be _kidding_ me!" I exclaimed. He sneezed again, this time missing my hands by an inch.

I wiped his nose and zipped his hoodie back on. Ash rained down from above us, and I scanned our surroundings to make sure nobody saw what I just witnessed.

No. No, that can't be right! Titan couldn't be a firebender - it was impossible! My eyes must be tired from exhaustion.

The next sneeze that came was harder, and I had to jump back from the fireball that exploded from his mouth as he knocked himself back with a _Ooof!_

"Ninaaaa," he whined, wiping his nose. "I'm thirsty!"

I crawled towards him cautiously, opening my bag to grab the canteen.

A strong scent hit my nose, and I just know that one of the bottles of oils broke. One of the lavender bottles, no doubt. Damn it, these things are hard to come by. I could only hope nothing else broke.

Practically shoving the mouth of the canteen down Titan's throat, he took two gulps before it began spilling out over his chin.

"Ew," Perfect. Let's waste the water Nina! Good job!

My mind clicked. titan could have started the fire. Anyone could have seen him do it! And if that happened, we were screwed. We had to get out of here, now.

"The gates are closing!" Someone shouted. And in seconds, a world record if you asked me, I had everything packed and Titan in my arms.

Uncomfortable by the fast movements, he began to stubbornly struggle in my grip. "No, don't you dare pull dead weight on me now of all times, Tai!"

He whined, kicking his legs. The gates were nearly closing, with as many people running through as possible. Everyone just piled through, knocking down the guards and trampling over each other. All to escape the chaos that was spreading quickly on the other side of the wall.

My luck had run out. I was almost through, only to have someone shove me to the ground and step on my leg. _Please don't be broken._ I could move my leg as I curled around Titan, who cried and pounded against the ground. I didn't know which way was right side up, and my head began to pound. I haven't slept yet, Titan needed to eat, we needed to hide - so many things happening at once!

A pair of strong hands gripped my arms and lurched my body forward, taking out the rest of my breath.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" The voice of a boy said. He pushed me through the crowd, shouting something that I couldn't understand. One more push, and we were met with darkness.

-x-

It took several minutes for my eyes to adjust to the newfound darkness. We had made it on the other side of the wall. People were remotely calmer now that they could breathe in the salt-water air and smoke of the ferry rides that would take them to freedom. Our savior guided us to a bench and let us sit for a minute, asking if we were okay.

"We're through," he said.

"Thank you so much for your help," I gave another look over Titan, who was still whining as he held on my blue shirt. His forehead had cooled, but he was still feverish and his eyes looked hazy. I held him so he could lay his head on my shoulder and I had one free arm to work with.

"Is he okay?" the stranger asked. I almost forgot he was there.

"Yes, he's just a little feverish." I dug through the bag, setting it's contents to the side to make sure nothing was completely ruined. The blanket soaked up most of the lavender that spilled and was no longer useful unless I had a washer available to take out all the glass.

"Damn it," I muttered. I finally saw the face of our savior. His face was young, suggesting his age around eighteen to twenty, with wild brown hair that spiked on all sides. He was relatively normal, save for the strand of wheat he chewed between his teeth.

I blinked once. Twice.

"I'm Jet." He said, holding out a hand with his signature smirk.

"N-Nina." I said robotically.

Really? _Really_?

First Suki, and now _Jet_, a man who hates anyone that has to do with the Fire Nation comes to my rescue?

If it weren't for Titan, I'd have almost wished he would've just let the crowd trample me.

"It's great to meet you." he said. "That was a nasty fall back there. I was even lucky my own friends managed to help me too," he laughed light-heartedly and it was hard to believe he was such a hardened-heart person.

I forced my own light chuckle. Picking up Titan so that he could lay his head on my shoulder, I used my free hand to empty the contents of my bag. The lavender smell was strong, and I tossed the blanket off to the side, using half of it to clean off anything that was touched with the oil.

"Dang it," I muttered before sighing.

"You look tired," Jet said as he sat with me. I gave an uneasy smile. I can only imagine how bad I looked. I haven't even slept yet.

I took out my pocket knife and began cutting off some pieces of a saved apple. Offering him a piece, because it was the least I could do, I asked, "So, you have friends here too?"

He nodded. "Thanks. And yeah, well, they're more like family. Longshot and Smeller Bee. We just lost our home to a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers a while back. We've been on the run ever since."

I nodded in understanding. I remembered that episode, the one where he flooded a Fire Nation village, but Sokka managed to get the people to safety. Of course the forest was probably burnt down soon after, and here he was; on his way to Ba Sing Se.

"I'm so sorry," I meant it. I couldn't imagine losing my home like that.

His eyes hardened and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "It's in the past now. The three of us are hoping to have a fresh start in Ba Sing Se."

I'm sure you will. Not.

As we finished off the apple in a moment of comfortable silence, he took a look at the soiled blanket.

"Thanks for the apple. I could clean this out for you if you want? Try and make it usable again."

"You don't have to do that," I assured him.

He shrugged. "It's the least I could do, you look like you have your hands full as it is." He gestured towards Titan, who, thankfully, snuggled into my neck and was sleeping soundly. I could still feel his fever, and for a moment I wondered if it was because he was becoming a firebender.

I don't know how that could suddenly happen, but I'd have to be careful, especially since Jet was trying to form a friendship. In fact, it might be better if I get away from him. His kindness wouldn't last long once he found out our secret.

"That would be great. Thanks."

He nodded and took off. I'm sure he'll run into the other two freedom fighters on his way. Just enough time to get away. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and pocketed my knife. The moment he was lost in the crowd, I high-tailed it out of there.

What is going on here? First I end up in a cartoon, then I just _happen_ to run into two semi-important characters in the show? Was there a realm of fates up there doing this for the fun of it?

Damn it! I knew as soon as I got a clear head on what just happened, I'd fangirl over the fact that I just met and got saved by the infamous Jet: Leader of the Freedom Fighters.

Pull yourself together Nina! Should you succeed in finding the Avatar and meet Toph, you'll have to keep yourself from fangirling all over the place!

I _really_ should have stayed home today.

* * *

A/N: So many things raining down on Nina at once, poor thing. I hope this wasn't too horrific. I'm still trying to work out the kinks, but I made a timeline of events so I can keep things easy. I mean really, who says you'll land at the beginning of the show and having it easy? Hahaha.

Review and tell me what you think! What should I fix? Any cliches you want me to avoid? Tell me and don't hold back!


	3. Chapter 3: Talentless

A/N: I've been trying to put a _F__rozen_ reference in one of my fanfics due to my new obsession with the Disney movie and I couldn't resist when I began writing the beginning xD

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**sayhellonotgoodbye22:** Ironically, this OC is more based off myself than any other character I've ever made xD But I guess that's the thing - her character is only based. My fantasy involves knowing everything there is to survival and being able to waterbend or have awesome ice powers and stuff, hahaha! It's rare for me to find fanfiction that have an OC with a full character to herself and I'm hoping to do that concept justice. I hope you enjoy my future chapters! :)

**Abby-Flourite:** Best Avatar fic yet already? Hahaha, I wouldn't go that far just yet it's only been a few chapters! But I'm still very flattered, heeheehee.

**Guest:** Good! Different is good! lol

* * *

-x-

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 3: Talentless**

-x-

* * *

"Reindeer are better than people~" I sang dully as Titan sat comfortably on my lap. "Tai, don't you think that's truuuuue?"

I changed my voice to a lower, more humorous pitch, "_Yeah people will beat you, and curse you! And cheat you! Everyone of'ems bad! Except youuuu! _Thanks buddy," I ended normally.

Titan giggled as he looked up at me, his attention averted from my cell phone he was playing games on.

"Stop looking at me like I'm a weirdo, I'm bored!" And that _Frozen_ song was stuck in my head. I still don't know why.

It had been around an hour into the night when I managed to sneak us on to the ferry-boat. Despite the chaos, they still checked who had tickets to get on and I ran past as soon as one of the security guards looked away. I haven't slept yet. Once we got on I found a spot near the side of the boat in case Titan awoke and got sea sick. As he slept on our only pillow, I tossed on my sweater despite it's holes and used a bit of water on one of the rags to keep his forehead cool. He was curled into my side to keep warm even though his sweater was less damaged than mine.

I couldn't sleep because I was too busy checking on him over the night. At one time I had to leave to use the bathroom and had the chance to wet some more rags. I may have dozed off a couple of times, but my mind was too hazy to remember.

Then we have Jet.

"What kind of song is that?" he asked as he rose an eyebrow from his spot.

"I'm tired, my mind isn't exactly making sense right now." I paused. "And my songs are beautiful!"

He chuckled. "Whatever you say."

I stuck out my tongue, not feeling completely sane at the moment.

We just so happened to get on the same ferry-boat. Of course. Could I have expected any different?

"I saw you sneak on," he had said with a smirk when he found me. With many apologies I had to tell him a half truth. I don't have any tickets and so needed to sneak on to the ferry-boat. And I didn't know when I would have a chance like I did then.

Instead of getting upset with me for doing something 'illegal' or offended that I left him, he laughed at me.

"I like your style!" he said. Why am I not surprised?

And so, the night had come and gone and here I was now, dying of boredom. Jet was good company, though he slept most of the night.

"Did you get any sleep?" Jet asked as he gave me a closer look.

"Of course I did!" I lied. He wasn't convinced. I could only imagine the dark rings under my eyes. I've never been one to successfully stay up all night unless I was watching a TV series.

"You need to sleep. Your kid will be fine with that odd contraption he's playing with, a couple of hours won't hurt."

I was too worried. I can't sleep if I'm worried. But speaking of sleep, I was pretty tired.

"I am a total stranger," I asked suspiciously. "What would you care if I slept or not?"

He shrugged, leaning back to lay an arm on his propped up knee. "For one, you have a kid. And you're not going to be able to take care of him if you're dead on your feet."

I didn't bother explaining that I was his cousin and not his mother - because either way, it was true.

"For another, we're all refugees here," he motioned towards the others occupying the boat. "Us war-survivors gotta stick together, you know?"

I nodded. He had a point, but my paranoia was too much. I could trust him and his character now, but if I woke up and found all of my things gone, I don't know what I would do.

What to do, what to do? I couldn't very well stay up another night, and when we all got off I don't want to be stumbling around like an idiot - especially since they'll be checking passports before letting anybody through the gates at Ba Sing Se. I sighed and let myself trust Jet for a moment. Nodding, he smiled in confirmation and stood up.

"I'm gonna go find my friends and see if they serve any food on here. You get a little shut-eye for now, okay?"

He left and I let myself slouch, holding Titan who was fussing with the MegaJump game.

-x-

I awoke to Jet shaking me awake a couple of hours later. I didn't realize how long I had been asleep, and in my panic I searched for my bag to make sure it was there. It was right where I left it, between my back and the wall of the boat. Titan lay sleeping with his head on my phone, and I pocketed the device.

"Rise and shine," said Jet. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and realized we were not alone. Two more characters I recognized sat in a small circle before me: Smellerbee, a girl with the short, brown hair and red lines on her cheeks, and Longshot, a boy with dark hair obscured by a hat and a small, muscular build.

Jet introduced me to the two former Freedom Fighters and I shook their hands with a smile of my own.

"I'm Nina. And the sleeping one is Titan, but you can call him Tai."

"Nina?" Smellerbee said questioningly. "What kind of name is that?"

What kind of name is Smellerbee? "Well, my full name is Syrina, but I look after a lot of little ones and 'Nina' is easier for them to pronounce."

"You have family in Ba Sing Se?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I guess you could say that."

Jet folded his arms. "We were just discussing some plans for tonight, and I think we could really use you."

"Use me for what?" I have no skills what-so-ever.

"You could say to . . . liberate some food." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It took me a few seconds to remember this morning's 'breakfast' that Titan refused to eat. A cold, brown and sluggish goop with hard balls of meat that I wasn't even sure was meat. He instead ate one of our apples, leaving three in their wake, and refused to eat anything else. I was only lucky that they had fountains here with drinkable water.

I nearly face-palmed. By the Gods. How could I not think of this? I remember in the series that Jet met Zuko and Iroh while Zuko complained about the food.

Which means Zuko is here.

On this boat.

Where I am.

Oh my stars.

"I'm in." I said automatically. The Freedom Fighter trio all smiled at my sudden enthusiasm.

"Great. I met another guy who can also help out. We'll meet up with him when the sun has set."

"Awesome!" I clapped in glee, ignoring their weird stares.

Can you blame me? Zuko is one of my favorite characters! And If I've met two minor characters in the series, what would be the harm in meeting a major one?

I had to resist the urge not to shake in my seat. With a clearer, well-slept mind, I was able to fully grasp my situation at hand.

I, a real-world girl, met the real, fictional character Jet. Jet is asking me for help. I'm going to meet the banished Fire Nation prince Zuko. Suddenly, this world got a lot more exciting.

And now that I've slept, my paranoia that the ship would break apart with Titan on one side and me on the other didn't seem so prominent. I trusted that he would sleep through the night (nothing could wake him up until he decided to wake up) and his fever had gone down a lot. Plus, he needed to eat. Real food, not just apples and beans.

I clapped my hands together once with a bright smile on my face. "This is going to be fun!"

-x-

"Nina, this is a new partner to our great cause, Lee. Lee, this is Nina." Jet introduced. Lee? The boy standing before me was around my age, with black spiky hair and refugee clothing. His face was marred over the left eye with a pink and red scar, and his golden eyes were narrow and sharp.

That's right, Zuko's cover name is Lee. I'd have to be careful not to slip up on that.

"Nice to meet'chya!" I held out a hand for him to shake. His grip was firm compared to my lanky-ness.

"Likewise," he said cautiously in that rough, teenage voice he had in the series.

I tried not to squeal. Okay, Nina! Act cool! Act cool!

I folded my arms with a small smirk. "So, we've got the plan?"

The boys nodded. In a brief summary, Jet described what we were all to do. He scoped out the place before hand, describing the kitchen to be on the upper deck of the ferry-boat. Smellerbee will distract the minor guards while Jet, Zuko - er, _Lee_ - and I are to sneak up top. Longshot would then send up an arrow with rope so that we could slide down the food.

I don't remember the details of how this plan went in the series, but I do remember that is was successful, so I trusted the fates to let this pull through.

When it came down to it though, as Zuko in the darkness of the stairs held an arm out to signal me back, my stomach knotted. I was fully aware of my thoughts now that I was completely awake. Zuko must have noticed the uneasy look on my face.

"Have you ever done this before?" he whispered. Ooh, our first conversation!

I shook my head, staring straight forward. "Nope." I then smiled, though it was more shaky than I would have liked.

"And yet you're supposed to be helping us?"

I rolled my eyes. "We all have to start somewhere,"

"Perfect," he seethed.

"Oh, hush mister angsty-pants. Focus on the game plan."

We waited for Jet's signal, but as the light passed from one of the passing guards, he came down the stairs, his face angry.

"The keys are looped _into_ his belt." he said, so low I had to repeat his voice in my head to understand what he was saying.

Zuko smacked his forehead in a very cartoonish way. Taking this chance, I peeked over the ceiling-floor of the stairs to see the guard with his back turned. I could see the golden loop of the key holder wound tightly to his waist. Any removal of the belt would release any feeling of pressure and he would notice immediately.

"Great, this plan is a bust -"

"No, we just need to change it."

"Maybe I can break it open. It should be easy enough."

"Why don't you just pick the lock?" I asked simply. The boys turned to me from their banter.

"The guard's patrol is too close together. There wouldn't be enough time to get in and out with those few extra seconds wasted."

And they went back to arguing with each other. I tried to cut in several times, but I guess boys will be boys. Poor Smellerbee, being the only girl.

You know, for skilled/trained guys in thievery and weapons and such, they could be pretty stupid.

I mean, how do we even know that it's locked?

I waited for the next guard's light to pass before sneaking up the stairs and on the upper deck. A loud _creeeaak!_ hushed the whispered argument of the boys who then poked their heads above the stairs like the heads of chicks from their eggs. I didn't have that trained light-step they did. The guard, just a dozen feet away stopped in his tracks at the sound.

I held my breath as the guard looked behind him briefly, before turning and continuing on his way.

"What are you _doing_?" Zuko hissed. I held out my hands like, "What?" and continued to the door of the kitchen. The entire room was built up in the middle of the deck, shaped like an octagon. I didn't have long before the guard made a complete circle again.

The door didn't have a round knob, but a rectangular handle. I pushed on it lightly and it caved in with a small _click_.

The boys stared owlishly at me as I gave a quiet sigh and a dull look.

Go through an elaborate plan to get the keys, only to find out the door is unlocked. Smart, very smart.

I hurried them over here and they looked both ways before having their little light step skill fly them over the creaked floorboards.

Jealous, so jealous, that I am.

Wish I could do that.

Stupid cartoons.

"Smart thinking . . . but Lee was just going to break open the latch." Jet said as we got to work. I dug through the cupboards for a bag and filled it with few spices (for the meat Jet had snatched) and fruits. I also grabbed some containers that were vaguely like water bottles.

"Sometimes, boys, you just need to check if the door is open." I sounded so wise, and Jet gave me a smile that said he saw me in a new kind of light. He probably didn't expect me to know what I was doing - just needed a few more hands for food.

I didn't know what I was doing. I just thought of an episode of Doctor Who where the two male characters were arguing about how to unlock the door and the female character just opened it right there.

This seemed like that kind of situation. And if there was one thing I knew about this world, it was that it appreciated humorous irony.

As Zuko gathered some dishes of food with his twin blades (that's what I called his weapons in my mind at least), Jet looked at him much like he looked at me - appreciating the skill.

"Guards coming!" Smellerbee's voice came from outside. In under forty-five seconds we had gathered what we could and headed out. An arrow shot from the below and hit the beam in front of us. We sent down the bags of food first, and then Jet slid down, followed by Zuko, followed by Smellerbee.

"Hey!"

Someone called from behind me. Without thinking, I whipped out my pocket knife. I nodded to the others who looked up in worry and turned while pocketing the knife in the same second.

"You're not supposed to be up here!" the guard said. He held a lantern over his shoulder, the light encasing the two of us in a yellow circle.

I gulped and held my arms around me. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't know."

"It's late, missy. What are you doing up here?"

I shrugged with a friendly smile. "I'll admit, my intention upon coming here was to steal some food."

He rose his eyebrow and took in my small, healthy-looking form. It was obvious I didn't have any skill in that type of thing.

"Very funny," he said.

I let out a hoarse laugh. "Okay, okay, I was just wondering if there were any extra blankets up here? My three-year old is shivering and I fear he may be sick."

He gave me a hard stare before sighing and relaxing. "All righty, miss. But next time you'll have to be more careful. Follow me."

Hopefully he wasn't just bluffing to throw me overboard.

I descended the stairs with a pile of fresh, soft blankets and grinned in victory. This was easier than I thought! As I made my way to our meeting spot, I ran into Zuko and Jet running back.

"Did you forget anything?" I asked, confused.

"We thought you were a gonner, we were coming back to get you." said Zuko. Jet couldn't help but shake his head and give a few slow claps.

"That was beautiful. You made it out in one piece, not bad for a first-timer."

I tilted my head with a sheepish grin, not used to the kind of compliment. "I try."

-x-

Jet passed out some dishes of food to other refugees as the group sat in a circle with our own food. Titan had woken from the cold and was now wrapped in one of our new blankets, munching happily on his small bowl of rice. I would occasionally take a bite from his bowl, unable to contain my hunger.

I couldn't have been more ecstatic upon meeting Iroh, who's kind smile was a great comfort in this new world I had to survive in. He was also a favorite of mine, especially since he was such a good guy.

"Such a beautiful child you have there," he said. "How old is he?"

Beautiful didn't even begin to cover how adorable Titan was. At his age, he could be mistaken for a girl because of the soft, round features of his face. It only made his cornflower blue eyes pop out that much more.

I swallowed my spoonful of rice. "Titan just turned three."

He gave a small wave at the boy. "Ahh, three? Already a man of the house, aren't you, boy?" he chuckled. Titan frowned at the stranger speaking to him and turned away.

"He's shy," I stated.

Iroh waved it off in understanding. "Ahh, why don't you eat some of the delicious food you gathered for everyone? I'm sure there is plenty enough to go around."

I ran a hand through Titan's hair and sighed. "I can wait. I just need to make sure he's fed."

"Such responsibility for a young girl. You look especially young to be a mother."

As if he thought it were obvious, Zuko rolled his eyes with a groan. I couldn't help but laugh. "Noooo, I'm not his mother. I'm his cousin."

"Uncle," Zuko groaned. Iroh sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"My apologies, I seem to be assuming all the wrong things lately." He laughed to himself. Not ten minutes ago he accidentally let slip that he thought Smellerbee was a boy. I tried not to laugh, because I think that was everyone's assumption on the series until she corrected him and stormed off with Longshot.

Jet returned and sat in the spot in front of Zuko.

"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on the giant wall."

_Be glad you don't now._ Of course, at this time I didn't quite remember the details of the series. Were Aang and the rest of the gang fighting the drill? Or were they guiding a family through the _Serpent's Pass_? It was too bad I couldn't do anything to help. I'd only just get in the way.

I didn't have any special skills other than basic self-defense I learned from my grandparents martial arts school, and Titan may have been a firebender now, but he's still a child. The best thing we can do is seek out the Avatar's help to get us back home.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why we're headed to Ba Sing Se. For a second chance." Jet said. I didn't realize I had drowned out their conversation with my thoughts.

"That's very noble of you." Iroh said as he glanced at Zuko. "I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Zuko glared at nothing in particular and took a sip of his tea.

"So what's your story?" he asked after turning away and averting their attention to me.

"My story?" I jumped, surprised.

"What happened to your aunt and uncle?"

Titan looked up from his food and twisted his torso to hold out his rice-covered hand to my face. I took a grateful bite of the rice that rested in the palm of his hand.

"Nothing to tell really," I said. What do I say? Do I lie? If there was one thing I learned in life, it was that lying never usually ended well. Especially in my situation. "We . . . got separated a while back and . . . well, next thing I know the two of us are in Full Moon Bay. I'm hoping to find the rest of our family in the city." When by 'find' I mean finding a way back to them.

We all sat and chatted for a while, with Zuko sparing me glances from the corner of his eye. I didn't notice at first, being to preoccupied with Titan who had finished his food and was getting cranky. He kept climbing on my torso and tugging at my shirt to ask for my phone. Because we were so close to others, I didn't really want to whip out the advanced technology. Besides, I had a feeling we were going to be here for a while, and Titan would have to have entertainment for the distant future if I needed him occupied.

By the time the fussy three-year-old began crying, Jet and Zuko were starting to get irritated.

"What's wrong with him?" Zuko asked, inching away from the child who pulled dead weight and decided to bury his face into the wooden floor and whine.

"He's cranky. I don't know why, considering he just ate." I was lucky his language was hardly understandable to people who haven't spent time with him too much.

Jet sighed, rubbing his head. "He probably wants to run around, he's been either sleeping or being cooped up next to you after all."

"He's just getting over a fever!" I sighed. It also helped that I don't want him far away from me. He could run around the boat and get into trouble or something and my paranoia would just give me a heart attack. I've been known for constantly yelling at my brother, I didn't want to bother people with that here.

Another ten minutes passed and the only progress made was Titan's lack of dead weight. I tried speaking to him, but he continued to lay face down as he kicked his feet every so often.

On the verge of smacking him for his stubbornness, Iroh finally held out a lending hand.

"May I?" he asked politely. Stunned from his softer tone of voice, I blinked twice before nodding my acceptance.

He reached over to grab Titan by his sides, and I winced once the boy began to struggle from the man's grip and kick his feet.

"Now, child," Iroh whispered. "There is no need to be upset,"

He continued to say soothing words as he cradled my cousin in his arms, beginning to rock him back and forth. To my astonishment, Titan's protests quieted at the old man's soothing voice and opted to just sit there and cry. I knew Iroh wouldn't do anything to hurt him, but my protective instincts had me reaching out to take my cousin back, though I froze once the former Fire Nation leader began to hum a familiar tune. He then began to sing:

_Leaves from the vine  
Falling so slow  
Like fragile tiny shells  
Drifting in the foam  
Little soldier boy  
Come marching home  
Brave soldier boy  
Comes marching home_

Like magic. Iroh smiled softly down at the boy and rocked him back and forth, humming the next few verses as his fussing died. As I looked at the other two boys in our presence, they too seemed at piece with the song. Jet lay with one knee propped up, one arm behind his head and his free hand twiddling the strand of wheat between his fingers. Zuko leaned back against the wall of the boat, hunched over with one arm resting on his leg and the other one straightened out.

Before long, as Iroh's song blending into the background, Zuko turned to me, his gaze flickering from my face to my arm and back. "What happened to your arm?"

I shook myself out of my stupor, realizing that THE Zuko of the Fire Nation was actually initiating conversation with me. Sort of.

I must hold in my fangirlish squeal.

Looking down at my bandaged arm, I remembered that it had somehow burned with a long, clawed marking of a hand when I came here.

"Uh," I unwrapped it, realizing that the medicine used was probably worn out. The distinct red-pinkish lines contrasted darkly against my skin. It was still sensitive to my touch, but it was a lot better compared to how it looked before. That stuff works fast!

"A firebender . . . grabbed my arm I think." It was what Suki said, and I was going with it. Saying I had absolutely no idea where it came from didn't make any sense, and technically if Suki was sure it was from a firebender then I wasn't lying.

That seemed to trigger a response from him, and his face twisted into a flash of scorn before relaxing back into it's usual hardened stare.

"I'm sorry." he said. I shrugged it off, waving the hand of my scarred arm at him.

"Nothing to be sorry about, it was an accident." It was possible Titan had given it to me during our fall, and I sure wasn't going to blame him.

"_That_ isn't an accident." Jet snapped bitterly. I jumped, previously thinking he had fallen asleep.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "How would you know?"

Jet shrugged, cautious of Zuko's temper and sat up on his elbows.

"You know, as soon as I met you two, I knew exactly who you were."

I froze, giving a quick glance to my firebender-cousin. Zuko also visibly tensed, but he had a better way of hiding it from someone who wasn't looking. If Iroh was paying attention to our conversation - and I knew he was - he didn't show it.

"You're outcasts, just like me." Jet finished, his face sharp. "And us outcasts have to stick together, because no one else will." he gave me a pointed look, reminding me of the conversations we had this morning.

_"...us war-survivors gotta stick together, you know?"_

The banished prince and I relaxed almost simultaneously. I almost forgot that one small slip and Jet would be on my trail. Luckily, there have been no incidents with Titan and his abilities.

Zuko stared straight ahead, out into the night and impending fog. "I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path."

Taking back my resting three-year old, I rose an eyebrow and stretched to lay us down on our pillow.

"Well, I think it's best we all get to sleep. We should be in sight of the wall of Ba Sing Se by morning." I covered myself with my extra blanket and turned around, feeling the two males' eyes burn into my back.

I could only hope it wasn't pathetically obvious I was hiding things from them. But then again, so were they. They just didn't know that I knew what they were.

-x-

"Interesting."

"Aren't they always?"

"She has made contact with the Fire Nation prince."

"It took some coaxing -"

"- the girl really is stubborn -"

"- to defy our powers of fate."

"Undoubtedly this will lead her to the Avatar."

"It must be done."

"But what will she do once the time has come? The Guardian is not yet of age . . ."

"How can we be sure who the true Guardian is?"

"Our assumption may be wrong,"

"But the boy is the firebender,"

"And the girl is painfully ordinary."

"Yet, notice she bears the mark -"

"- the hand of the spirits -"

"-pulling her from -"

"- her world to ours."

"Let us watch, my brother's and sisters. For we may find more about -"

"- The Guardian of Fire."

". . ."

". . ."

"Don't interrupt me."

* * *

A/N: And so Nina has met with the two clashing boys and got to know of our favorite prince of fire, if only a bit. I hope the chapters aren't just _dragging_ on like I think they are.

So, I hope you enjoyed and leave a review to tell me what you think! Any ideas on what will happen next?


	4. Chapter 4: Jet's Offer

AN: Not much to say here, but . . . thank you guys so much! This story is actually going a lot better than I thought it was. :)

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Abby-Flourite:** I can't decide who my favorite character is in the series, but Zuko would have to be in my top three! Heehee

**Maegan224:** She's going to be staying with Zuko and Iroh sort of, you'll have to see :)

**Guest:** Aww :)

**Littlebirdd:** You really paid attention to the subtle clues I made in just three chapters! That's awesome! I won't confirm what is what so I don't reveal too many details, but you're really close! Hahaha

* * *

-x-

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 4: Jet's Offer**

-x-

* * *

The loss of our third blanket came early that foggy morning when I awoke covered in flames. With a very unattractive squeal that sounded like a tortured seal, my legs flung and kicked the cloth off before I stood up and proceeded stomp the hell out of the demon fabric that tried to kill me.

In those moments, my brain was able to process that other than Titan, who sat staring innocently at me and the blanket I was snuffing out, and Iroh, who snored loudly as he slept, we were alone. Jet and Zuko were no where to be found, thankfully. Smellerbee and Longshot either haven't returned from last night or left to find food.

"Titan!" I gasped, holding my heart to slow it down from my panic. "You need to stop doing that!"

He continued to sit there and stare blankly at me, as if wondering what he did wrong. Turning to ignore me, the child tilted his head down to his hands to play whatever game he chose from my cell.

Sneaky brat, woke up and took my phone!

I picked up the charred blanket and let out a long sigh. Luckily, I had two spare blankets in our bag, but still, this was such an unneccessary loss!

Letting out a last huff, I folded the blanket to rid the area of evidence (because how would I explain the burns?)

I kneeled to snatch the phone out of Titan's hands, who whined in protest, and pointed at him with it.

"No phone for you!"

His eyes teared up and I folded my arms and looked away.

"Nope, not gonna work on me! You lost the phone for burning a perfectly good blanket! You're grounded."

Titan shook his body before sitting there with a pout. He didn't cry unless he was really cranky, so at the moment he was giving me his signature silent treatment.

"Don't start," I scolded before rolling my eyes. I stuffed the pillow we used and the charred blanket into our bag, which had expanded due to the extra three dishes of food collected from the night before and was now beginning to overflow. I took out the single lavender bottle and put three drops into the palm of my hand.

Titan still had a fever, and after rubbing the oil behind his ears and on the bottom of his feet, I felt much better. I then looked down at my attire and grimaced. How did I look right now? I could imagine that my hair was tangled despite being braided and clipped up into a falling bun, and my clothes were less than appealing with grim, dirt, and sweat.

I would normally be very, very self-conscious about my lack of shower for the past two days, but then again, everyone else here were no better. Oh, how I miss my home with sanitary bathroom facilities and showers that were at my disposal.

_Ugh_.

-x-

At the moment, because we had finally departed the ferry-boat and were standing in line to get our passports checked (crap), I was still thinking about Titan and I's personal hygiene. I mean, seriously, how do Zuko, Jet, and even the Gaang not get all messy and dirty and just, _ew_, all the time? They were the same freaking clothes everywhere for goodness sakes! And it's not like they have access to showers every morning!

I have no idea how I'm going to find the Avatar in the big city of Ba Sing Se, but I was confident that things would work out. I had to be. It was the only thing keeping me together.

How am I going to get passed security? To get through the entrance that led to . . . wherever it led the other passengers, you had to get your passport stamped or something. The hidden fire-duo stood in front of us, with Titan holding my hand as he stood next to me. Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot were a ways behind us in line.

A sinking feeling dropped low in my stomach. What do I do? What do I do?

Iroh approached the pug-faced woman at the desk and handed her two passports. The woman gave them hard looks with squinted eyes.

"So, a mister Lee and mister . . . _muh-shi_."

Iroh held up a finger. "It's pronounced _moo-shi_," he said with a smile.

The woman scowled at him. "Are you tellin' me how to do my job?"

Iroh frowned and looked taken aback. I held back a snicker. "U-Uh, no! No! But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom!" He smiled flirtatiously with dramatized hand motions before clasping them together and bowing his head. "Your beauty is intoxicating."

Zuko openly gagged as he turned away from the two seniors. I couldn't help but giggle behind my hand as he blanched and smacked his forehead.

When Iroh finished speaking, he turned to his nephew with their passports before one was harshly snatched from his hands.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that," Zuko growled. Iroh continued to lead with a cheerful smile. I held my breath as the duo walked on and ducked my head. Carefully, obscuring the woman's view from myself and the child I held, I followed them off to the side, hoping to slip by her now dazed gaze. It was either pure luck, a push on my new ability, or the 'I just don't care anymore a guy flirted with me' struck woman who stamped the next passports without another glance that got me through. But it happened.

I let out the breath I was holding and hunched forward.

"Alrighty, Cuz. Looks like things are looking up today, don't you think?"

The three-year-old merely gave me a smile before demanding I carry him by blocking my path and holding out his arms.

"Brat," I muttered before giving in.

"Don't think I'm not still mad about this morning!"

I continued to follow them to a small seating area. I bit my lip.

"So . . ."

"Ah!"

"What exactly are we supposed to do now that we're here?"

Zuko spun around, his face flashed with surprise as if he didn't realize that I had been behind him this entire time.

"W-When did you get here!?" He stuttered.

Confused, I said, "I've stood behind you this entire time . . ."

"Impossible!" He gasped, gaining back his composure.

Iroh took a peek from behind Zuko and waved a hand at Titan before waving at me.

"Nina, it's great to see you again."

"Thank you! At least your uncle is polite. Um, I'm not really up to speed about what we're supposed to do from this point. Would you know?"

Before Zuko could protest, Iroh nodded and patted the seat next to him. Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned, probably annoyed that I was around. I felt bad, but I needed help and that was more important. Mister Angst could go brood somewhere else!

"All refugees are to take the Monorail," - what I recognized to be the earthbending subway-like thing - "down to a part of Ba Sing Se where we can all get on our feet. As we go through, our names will be taken with new passports and identity papers for our new lives. But of course, that isn't until we are also given complimentary apartments!"

"Whoa," I gasped. Now, that was really convenient. They didn't call this place the Paradise from the War for nothing, now did they? But did that mean I still needed a passport and other such paperwork to get new ones? Dang it, why can't things ever be easy?

"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

Iroh eagerly lifted his hand for the man's attention, his face eager like a child for free candy.

"Ooh! Jasmine please! Would you like some?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"No, thank you, I'm not a fan of tea." His eyes widened at me as he held his hand out for a cup.

"How could you not like _tea_?" His face looked like he was looking at a whole new side of life. I laughed, but I couldn't reply because Titan began tugging on my pants.

"I nee-a go potty!" he whined, jumping up and down. I rolled my eyes and picked him up.

"Alrighty, let's go."

-x-

Jet watched the scene at the front of the line with a smirk. Nina had slipped past that lady with no problem. He fiddled with the strand of wheat in his mouth. "Lee and Nina . . . I think they would make good Freedom Fighters."

"You don't know anything about them, Jet. Especially the boy." Smellerbee replied. Longshot tilted his head curiously at the girl who just walked by unnoticed by the pug-faced woman up front.

Jet shrugged, his eyes still looking after the two who disappeared behind the entrance of the wall. "I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender."

"I thought we were going straight now?"

"We are!" Jet said quickly. "And the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. And Nina. You saw what she just did there, right? What do you think, Longshot?"

Longshot gave him a simple glance.

Jet nodded in understanding. "I can respect that."

Smellerbee scoffed. "Are you sure it isn't because you have a crush on that girl? I haven't seen you so googly-eyed before."

Jet scowled, breaking the strand of wheat between his fingers. "Don't mistake me for a fool. I know talent when I see it. She may not even realize it yet, but that girl can slip by others without even getting a second glance. Even I wouldn't have met her if I didn't trip over her leg back at Full Moon Bay."

"Why do we have to get members for new Freedom Fighters? This is supposed to be our new beginning in Ba Sing Se." Smellerbee ignored his tone, used to the male's temper. Possibly because she was the only one who didn't buckle down at his demands like he expected others to do. She followed him of her own will, and will stop at her own will. It was why Jet respected her as one of his strongest members.

He shook his head. "And we are. But having people like Nina and Lee as allies could be a benefit. It'll take more than miracles to make a life in Ba Sing Se. If we all stuck together, we could live a pretty good life for each other."

Smellerbee folded her arms and scoffed. "Whatever you say. What do you think, Longshot?"

He gave a silent stare.

"Agreed." Smellerbee nodded.

Jet made his way to the girl first. Despite being the safe haven, Nina wouldn't last very long in Ba Sing Se without any help. It was obvious she was much too spoiled from surviving in the outside world. Her strange clothing suggested a foreign place that was probably located far from here, and her health and attitude showed slight naivety and inexperience.

It was amazing she managed to last this far from wherever she came from. The food gathering on the ferry was sort of a test, to see what she could offer in the field. With the right kind of training her skills could become more well-rounded.

When she left the uncle and nephew, he approached her. "Hey, Nina. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

She tried to hide her hesitance and glanced down at the kid. "Uh . . . suuuure. But could you help me find the bathroom facilities first? Titan can only hold out for so long . . ."

Jet rose an eyebrow. They were standing right next to the entrance.

"It's right here." he motioned to the wooden sign beside them, the words clearly stating _'Bathrooms'_. How odd.

"Oh!" her face flushed and she scurried over. "Okay, I'll be right back."

He followed and observed as she checked the room for any occupants. It was a single bathroom, and with some assurance for how the appliances worked she nodded at the boy who pushed her out of the room for privacy.

"What did you want to talk about?" Nina asked as the door closed. She bit her lip, and he didn't think she knew how her body unconsciously swayed to guard the door. Protective instincts. Good.

"I think you would have a better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. Do you want to join the Freedom Fighters?"

She looked taken a back, and he was surprised when her face flashed with offense.

"Join the Freedom Fighters?" she muttered, dazed.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm even going to ask Lee to help out too. I mean, think about all the refugees we could help here."

A few seconds of silence had Jet wondering. Her eyes were dazed and her breathing hitched - was she sick?

Shaking her head from side to side and seemed to snap back to reality. "Thanks but . . . honestly I won't be of any use . . ."

"Of course you will!" Jet assured. "You have a head on your shoulders and you were pretty good with the food gathering last night,"

She grimaced. "I literally have no fine skills what so over. I'm actually surprised I didn't end up getting you guys caught last night."

"But you didn't. Instead you used your smarts and trusted your instincts and even managed to get some extra blankets and stuff for everyone."

"Yeah, but-"

"If you worried about being able to do the stuff like Lee and I can do, it's no problem. I can help train you. I helped lots of kids in our old Freedom Fighter gang learn how to tone their skills."

Nina hesitated and shifted from one foot to the other. Her eyes glanced back to the door, as if worried something were wrong.

"I whine a lot," she blurted. "I argue with my mom about going to the gy - err, about exercising for just an hour a day, I'm lazy, I'm clumsy and I-"

"Don't go selling yourself short now," Jet said quickly, holding his hands out to steady her. She looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Though he slightly felt that she was just trying to dodge him and make excuses to set him up for rejecting the offer, he could tell that the meaning behind her words were truth. She really didn't have any confidence in her abilities at all.

"Sorry," she muttered. "As much as I would love to join and I really appreciate the offer . . . I will have to decline."

Jet shrugged. Pity, she has such great potential. "I understand, whatever you say." he turned to leave before turning back.

"You're not useless," he said. She looked surprised. "That's what you're making yourself out to be. But you have skill, Nina. You take great care of Tai, and you did a lot of good helping out last night. Just . . . don't keep thinking that you're not able to do anything, okay?"

She nodded mutely. Jet smiled and took out the strand of wheat from his lips. "Look us up if you ever change your mind."

-x-

It was disappointing that Nina rejected his offer, but he understood her discomfort. She had family here in Ba Sing Se, and probably wanted to get back to her normal life or whatever she had before separating from them. At least he had Lee as a back up, and after asking to speak with him while his uncle sipped his nice, hot tea from the leaf cup, he gave Lee his offer to join him and his friends.

But to his disappointment, the boy rejected him as well, claiming that Jet wouldn't want someone like him joining his group. How odd, to be rejected twice in one day. It put a small blow on his pride, and he wanted to insist that Lee was the perfect guy to join, but he stayed silent. He didn't want to push. Besides, Lee might change his mind after a while. And if he didn't, then oh well.

Things were to continue as normal as he made his way back to the group. That was what was on his mind. But something nagged at him, that familiar burn in his brain that warned him to beware, as if he were back in the forest some months back.

His eyes traveled until they found their way to the girl, Nina. She was wiping off the boy's face with a damp clean cloth, her brow furrowed and her mouth moving in a way that hinted at her scolding the three-year-old. The boy held out his hands with a small grin and jumped up and down excitedly . . .

And suddenly, right before Jet's very eyes, fire erupted from the child;s palms. He was holding a small, yellow flame in his hands.

Jet's eyes widened. Was it a trick of light? Was he just seeing things that were brought up from his past?

No. Nina's reaction was hectic as she quickly clamped the damp cloth over the boy's hands and began speaking in quick, hushed tones. She began wiping at the boy's palms furiously and looked around to make sure no one close by had witnessed the boy's abilities. Her eyes swept over his staring form.

Sudden anger overwhelmed Jet as his hands clenched into fists.

That _lying_ . . .she was a spy! She had to be! Why else would she be traveling with a _firebender_, and _hiding _it from everyone! What was she doing? Was she from the Fire Nation? Was she sent here to Ba Sing Se to train a firebending brat so that he could take the city down from inside the walls?

To use a child as a weapon - that was low. Did she even have family here in ba Sing Se? He knew that Nina was hiding something on the boat. Her uneven breathing as she spoke of home and they way she shifted uncomfortably as she told her story. Even Lee knew something was up, but they both decided not to push it on a silent agreement. After all, they all knew what it was like to have a troublesome past.

And the burns on her arms . . . it all made sense now! She obviously got them from that-that demon child!

He had to tell someone. He had to warn everyone - but wait. No one would ever suspect a young girl and the child she carried. It was all too innocent. Yes, it was so obvious! Such a delicate clever plan! And who knows, maybe there were more! There may have been other woman around here with children of their own that would grow up and train to take down the walls in a few years.

If he wasn't filled with so much surprise, with so much betrayal for even considering this person to become a Freedom Fighter, he would have enjoyed the thought that came into such a plan.

Jet turned his back on the girl and walked fast - but not too fast, he couldn't draw attention - to his two friends. He would need evidence of this diabolical plan.

Such a turn of events.

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh. Nina's in trouble now. So instead of catching Iroh with hot tea he previously exclaimed to be cold, he was speaking to Nina at the time and finds out her little secret. What to do, what to do?

I hope you guys enjoyed! I had fun writing from Jet's Point of View because as I watched the series, I seriously believe that he has some psychological problem. I mean, during his introductory episode, I think he seriously believed everything he said even though he made it up all in his head - from the old man he told Katara was an assassin to believing he was doing good by wiping out an entire town to save the forest, it was because he realized his problem that he got away from there to try and start a new life. But that's easier said then done, don't you think?

Anyways, review and tell me what you liked about this chap! What do you like about Nina? What don't you like about Nina? What do you suspect will be in the future with Titan who is still pretty much in his toddler years? Tell me! :)


	5. Chapter 5: Ba Sing Se

_**Special Thanks To: **_

**True Thinker:** Lol I'm sorry for the long wait!

**LuzElvaParra17:** Titan takes some growing but I'll try to make his character more likable now that his fever is going down :)

**Maegan224:** Ooooh! I love theories! You are close, not that close, but close, heeheehee

* * *

-x-

**Guardian of Fire**

**Chapter 5: **

-x-

* * *

"Titan! Get back here!" I yelled as the small boy ran around Monorail. His fever was obviously brought down to a manageable level, and the little boy was his as-happy-as-he-can-get self. I always wonder if I could keep up his mood swings – one minute he's whiney and the next he's dandy and playful. But it was a nice change; after all, the entire time we've been here he hasn't had the chance to be happy.

Now, on this strange teleportation that he had never seen before, he was excited and would hop on one of the long seats to look out the window. Occasionally I would follow him when he did this, since the windows weren't barred with glass and I would hold him by his waist. If I was lucky, he would wear himself out right now so he could be calm for later.

Ugh, how do parents do it? The child was driving me crazy after a few days in this world! I'm too young to be a mother, why is this happening to me?

I shook my head of the selfish thoughts and sat back with a long, drawn out sigh. Complaining wouldn't help my situation. I should just be grateful that I have Titan instead of his younger sister, Karin. She was still in diapers and her fondness of me was as bi-polar as Titan's attitude. One minute she didn't want me even looking at her and the next she would throw a fit if I wouldn't pick her up. She would be asking for her mother right about now, but Titan has slept over my apartment a few times, so he was comfortable with me instead of his parents.

He needed a bath as soon as possible too. Of course, so did I, but I didn't want him getting sick from any dirtiness. Our immune systems weren't built to withstand this world's type of survival, especially since there was a lack of modern medicine and other such cleaning technologies.

When Titan ran over to a small, fairly familiar family, a newborn child in their hands, I rushed over as he climbed next to them.

"Is that new baby?" he asked. To anyone who didn't spend time with children his age like I did, it would be hard to understand what he was saying because of the way he slurred his words together. It didn't help that although the boys in my family were smarter as they grew, their verbal skills were outmatched by the girl's. So the couple holding the sleeping child gave him a questioning look, wondering what he could be saying.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly as I shuffled over to grab him by the waist. "He just got over a fever and is running on a lot of pent up energy."

"It's fine," the mother said with a soft smile. Her voice was like honey and her brown eyes were large and inviting. I couldn't help but blush at the at-ease woman who leaned against the other friendly man next to her. She tilted the bundled newborn in her arms for Titan to get a closer look. I cautiously held him back at a distance so he didn't get to close. Even though he was mostly healed, I didn't want to risk his fever getting the baby sick.

"She like Kawin!" He said, pointing at the baby's button like nose.

I nodded. "Yeah, she's just like Karin." I laughed and turned to the mother. "What's her name?"

"Hope." She said proudly.

Hope . . . Hope . . .

Oh my stars, this was the family that the Gaang crossed the Serpent's Pass with!

GEE, WHAT ARE THE ODDS, EH?

"And yours?" she asked me. I didn't bother correcting her.

"Titan. He just turned three."

"Congratulations." She said.

"Don't mistake her for the mother, though," came a jolly laugh of an old man next to the couple. I blinked and leaned forward. Iroh sat with a big grin and waved at me.

"I made that mistake earlier, hahaha."

The mother giggled and nodded.

"Hey!" I greeted the man with an ironic laugh. "I didn't know you were on here." I nodded to the mother and carried Titan over to the other side of the couple. The Monorail came to a stop, and as a guard called for a certain number, the couple rose and parted.

As the earthbenders got it back moving, I sat back in my seat, comfortable to be near a familiar face.

"How are you, mister . . ." What was Iroh's cover name? "Mushi?"

He nodded with a hearty laugh. "Yes, it's wonderful to see another familiar face. Your little one seems to be doing better, I see."

I nodded. "Yeah. About time, he hasn't had the chance to run around for a long time. Now we can just . . . relax."

Iroh nodded in understanding. "He will grow into a strapping young boy, especially with a _fiery_ energy like that."

For a moment I froze, giving a surprised glance at Titan before glancing back at Iroh, who gave a teasing wink. I blinked quickly, my mind going through hundreds of assumptions that disappeared as soon as they came. He didn't know of Titan's firebending, did he? But how? There was that incident back at the port, when Titan excitedly held out his hands to show me the small flame he held in his palm. I snuffed it out quickly though, much to the boy's disappointment. No, it was too small for anyone to notice.

With another laugh that put me at ease, Iroh began chatting about what he would like to do once him and Zuko were given their new home, and what other homely things he plans to get for it. I felt at ease with the old man, only because I knew the nature of his character and what a kind soul he was in the series. But I was also cautious, because the man could be pretty scary if you pissed him off.

It was weird seeing characters from a cartoon in person. So far, they were nothing like the actors in the movie (and thank God for that!) but they were slightly off from the cartoon. Of course, they're proportionate bodies were more realistic, lacking that cartoon shine and exaggeration often portrayed on TV.

"Which part of the refugee district have you been given?" he asked curiously. As everyone boarded the Monorails, guards had gone up and down the aisles, counting the passengers on a clicker and coming back with small pieces of paper for our assigned districts. Upon reaching that district, we were to discard any passports and such and given new ones.

Honestly, I couldn't remember all that we were supposed to do from there, only because I was worried that it would be found out that I snuck on with a passport or any other travel papers of the like. So, if I was lucky, I would be able to wing this entire thing and follow what other people were doing.

Before I could pull the paper out of my pocket, I was interrupted by a shadow looming over me. "What are you doing here?" a gruff voice asked.

Zuko stood in front of me, his arms crossed and his face stern. I resisted the urge to recoil from his cold eyes and stared at him defiantly.

"Talking, obviously." I rolled my eyes.

"Are you stalking us?" he demanded.

Iroh waved a hand at him. "Now, now, Lee. That's no way to speak to a lady."

"Its fine," I assured.

"Che," Zuko scoffed and plopped on the other side of Iroh, scowling.

"Please forgive my nephew's rudeness, he has had a long journey."

I waved it off with a grin and pulled Titan to sit on the other side of my lap. To keep him occupied, I pulled out my cell and turned it on for him, making sure to turn down the volume so that it wouldn't attract attention.

He took it from me gratefully and turned his attention to the device.

"How old are you to be taking on such a responsibility for a child?" Iroh asked after a long, comfortable silence.

"It's not that much of a problem. I'm seventeen."

He rose an eyebrow. "Seventeen? Why, that's only a year older than my nephew!"

"Uncle," Zuko groaned. "Stop talking to her!" he said through grit teeth.

"Now, now," Iroh warned.

"You know I _can _hear you." I reminded, leaning forward for a better view of the grouchy teen.

He scoffed and ignored me and slid down in his seat. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the fire nation prince was pouting.

Instead of being put off by his attitude, I couldn't help but laugh. That seemed to make him even angrier and Iroh couldn't help but join me from our spout.

-x-

Unluckily, the fire nation duo were stopped off at section of the refugee district before mine, leaving Titan and I alone once again and my mind going crazy with alert. What do I do now? What am I _going_ to do? I can't possibly survive on my own here! Oh gosh, I should have taken Jet's offer, if only for a little while, he could have helped us. But considering this was a time with lesser things, it had to be a lot simpler than trying to survive out in my own world, right?

Two apples, half a canteen, and a lavender dab on Titan's warming forehead later, we met our stop. I won't go into detail about how we got into our apartment hours later, which consisted of me stealing some discarded papers and passports from a trashcan that the officers tossed lazily aside. They even gave a small pouch of money that I didn't have any knowledge about, and after looking through the map with their package of keys and money, we were there.

It was a small, run down resident with two rooms and a bathroom – first walking in, you were met with the small kitchen and dining area; the sink on the right and a small square table under the window up ahead. It also had some kind of stove appliance that I couldn't figure out how to work. To the left was a broken sliding door that led into an empty room with a supply closet. Inside the closet was a musty old blanket filled with holes and unusable.

"Well, home sweet home," I said as I walked in, carrying a sleeping Titan. I scrunched my nose at the smell and took the bag of our few belongings and set them on the small cot that sat under the window in the bedroom. I compared the second-floor apartment to that of Haruhi's from the anime _Ouran High School Host Club_. She was a poor character with a small house, though it was probably half bigger than this. It made me think that the living room was also going to be the bedroom, and the closet with two shelves on the left wall was to hold things like sleeping bags and blankets for nighttime.

Damn it, I cursed to myself as I let out a long breath of irritation. I was tired. My back was aching, my legs were sore, and as I set Titan down with a bit of a struggle, I felt like my body would collapse. The walk to the apartment was a long one, and by the time I had gotten here it was dark out. I wanted to collapse to the floor the moment my knees touched the ground, but reason wouldn't let me. I needed to inspect this place for any rodents and insects that could be harmful to Titan, and with one whiff of my scent, I knew I had to check out the bathroom.

To my luck, plumbing was more modern (like flushable toilets and running water) than I feared. When I turned the shower on, I checked the stream and with few adjustments of the knob my skin was met with warm water. Relief washed over me as I let out a happy yelp of victory.

"Yes! Warm water!" I pumped my fist in the air. At least something great has happened today! Stripping in seconds I hopped into the top, forgetting there's no curtain to avoid a mess and dunked my head under the water.

"Warm water~! Warm water~! Warm – GAAH! COLD! COLD! COLD! DAMN IT!"

-x-

Look at them, those fire nation spies. Jet observed as the girl, Nina, struggled to carry the sleeping firebending abomination up the stairs to the new apartment. He had been watching her for a while now, speaking to Lee and his uncle on the Monorail, to stealing the passports and travel papers at the office. How was it that she came to get away with these things? It should have been so obvious before that she wasn't like other normal people, what with her strange looking clothes and the odd way she speaks.

"Living right everyone's nose. It makes me sick how the fire nation is getting people like this to work for them."

"Jet," Smellerbee warned in her low husky voice, walking up behind him with Longshot. "I don't think this is a good idea. So what if you saw the kid firebending? What are we supposed to do, attack them? It's obvious the girl doesn't even know how to fight, not to mention Titan is only a little kid! What do you expect him to do? Take over a daycare?"

Jet scowled at his teammate before turning back to find Nina making her way inside the third apartment to the right on the second floor of the three-story building.

"Think about, Smellerbee. Why would the fire nation make refugees out of their own?"

"There is such thing as banishment."

"Yes, but the fire nation is ruthless. They would have kept the kid to train as one of their soldiers. He can firebend, having _that_ out in the wild wouldn't be such a smart idea, you see?" he sighed. "The fire nation has been trying to get into Ba Sing Se since the beginning of the war. This could be a way for them to bring it down from the inside. That _kid_ is going to grow older, and at the same time, stronger."

Smellerbee sighed and shared a glance with Longshot. "I thought we were starting over here? Changing our ways! Why do you have to worry about some conspiracy that – should I mention – you just made up in your head?"

Jet sighed. "We are. When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. I promise."

She rolled her eyes and rubbed her face, then her hair. After a silent conversation with Longshot through his expressions, Smellerbee folded her arms and leaned against the building.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that . . . they're actually refugees? I mean, it's weird that a girl and her cousin would get separated from family and she would automatically assume that they would come to Ba Sing Se. She could be lying. Titan might actually be her own kid."

Jet's face hardened and he spun to face his teammate with a glare. "She wouldn't lie about that. There's no reason to!"

Smellerbee stood her ground, unphased, and crossed her arms. "Unless, of course, the kid's father was a firebender."

"That's not true!"

"Jet, think clearly about this," she said, holding out a hand. "Let's say, Nina had some kind of a relationship with a soldier. Or a one-time fling, even. She finds out she's having a kid, and ends up leaving because of the strong possibility it'll be a firebender or something. She could be running _for_ the kid. I mean, what if someone found out and took him away? Have you ever thought about that?"

Jet huffed and turned. "You don't know what you're talking about. It's ridiculous!"

"Hey, it makes a lot more sense than your conspiracy. If you report her to the police, you could be ruining the lives of innocent people."

Jet left himself to scorn for a moment. Smellerbee could very well be right. Would it be possible that he would be doing more damage than good?

He thought back to Nina's strange behavior, and the way she would instinctually move around Titan as he did. It was very possible she had lied, she did act like the child's mother more than a cousin would. Thinking about it made him feel . . . odd. At war with himself.

The thought brought flashes back to his own childhood, the way it was ruined and what this war has done the lives of billions. He could still hear the screams of his parents echo in his ears, and his heart clenched. Why did he feel so betrayed by this revelation? How could someone like Nina get . . . Get _involved_ by the bastards with any relation to the fire nation?

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his trance. Longshot turned him slightly in concern.

"If that's true," Jet said lightly, his fists clenched. "Then, that . . . that doesn't change a thing! I don't care how she came about her situation. Because anyone who would give themselves to the will of a _firebender_ is the enemy! And you two, my only friends, of all people should know it!"

-x-

"This is much harder than I predicted . . ."

"Keeping her along the path of the fire nation prince –"

"- but she just won't comply . . ."

"They keep getting separated . . ."

"And that other boy is worrisome too . . ."

"Worry not, my spirits. We have much more to do here,"

"Yes, we just have to push her in the right direction,"

"A little nudge,"

"Or a giant leap,"

"It matters not, despite her efforts,"

"She cannot—"

"Avoid—"

"The banished Prince—"

"Forever."

* * *

A/N: Yo! :) Sorry the chapter came out later than usual, I've been busy. Nothing much happened here, other than Nina having to deal with this new life, and keeping a child under wraps, lol. Now what's going to happen?

I hope this hasn't been too boring, I just want to get passed Nina's problems with coming to this foreign world, hopefully we'll have some more fun action later (Next chap maybe? Heeheehee)

Please review and tell me what you think! What should I change? What should I avoid? The like :)


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